About Martin Amini

The Beginning

Martin Amini grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland — the first-generation American son of Bolivian and Iranian immigrants. Straddling two cultures gave him what most comedians spend years trying to manufacture: an outsider's eye for the absurdity of everyday American life.

Martin Amini attended the University of Maryland, College Park, graduating from the Robert H. Smith School of Business. The roadmap pointed straight to corporate America. Comedy ripped it up.

His cousin, comedian Max Amini, offered Martin Amini a gig as a camera operator on tour. Night after night, he watched from behind the lens — until the itch became unbearable. In 2012, Martin Amini stepped on stage for the first time. He never came back down.

The Rise

Martin Amini's television debut landed on TruTV's Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks in 2018 — his first taste of national exposure. Two years later, he filmed Son of an Ice Cream Man at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The venues were getting bigger. The crowds were getting louder.

In 2023, Martin Amini dropped I'm Transcending — his debut comedy special, filmed at the historic Lincoln Theatre in DC. Directed by comedian Erik Griffin, executive produced by Martin Amini, Matt Rife, and Christina Shams. It wasn't just a special. It was a statement.

Martin Amini has headlined sold-out nights at The Comedy Store's Main Room, the Hollywood Improv, and The Regent Theater as part of the Netflix Is a Joke Festival 2024. He opened for Matt Rife at Constitution Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and The Hollywood Bowl — three of the most iconic stages in live entertainment.

The Tour

Martin Amini now tours internationally with Live Nation, performing across the US, London, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. His current multi-city US theater tour is stacking sold-out performances at:

• Town Hall — New York City
• Palace of Fine Arts Theatre — San Francisco
• The Vic Theatre — Chicago
• Aztec Theatre — San Antonio
• Center Stage Theater — Atlanta
• NJPAC — New Jersey
• Warner Theatre, Lincoln Theatre, DC Improv — Washington DC

Martin Amini is represented by WME (William Morris Endeavor) — the same agency behind the biggest names in entertainment.

The Cupid of Stand-Up

Martin Amini earned his title: The Cupid of Stand-Up Comedy. Every show transforms into a live matchmaking event the moment Martin Amini reads the room — and he reads it like a book.

He pulls couples and singles from the audience, sizes them up instantly, and forges connections on stage that nobody saw coming. One minute he's a marriage counselor. Next he's your wingman. Then he's the guy who tells you — in front of 1,200 people — that your boyfriend isn't it.

It started organically. Martin Amini noticed how audiences ignited when he pulled their real lives into the show. He'd ask a couple how they met. He'd roast a guy's dating profile. The crowd devoured it. So he leaned all the way in.

His catchphrases have become part of the show's DNA:

• "Wholesome homie" — for the guys who pass the vibe check
• "J J J" — his signature laugh, now echoed by fans

The matchmaking isn't just crowd work — it's Martin Amini's superpower. He turns a room full of strangers into a community, all sharing the same inside joke. And sometimes, that joke ends with someone walking out with a phone number they didn't have when they sat down.

Martin Amini at the Warner Theatre, Washington DC · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC)

Martin & Charlene

Behind every great comedian is someone who keeps them honest. For Martin Amini, that's Charlene Amini.

Charlene Amini is an American-Bolivian artist, writer, and cultural advocate. She founded the American Bolivian Collective, strengthening ties between Bolivia and the US diaspora. Her work digs into Amazonian heritage, diaspora identity, and the role of women in cultural memory — the kind of depth that shapes everything around her.

Martin Amini calls her "an LA 10." She calls him out when his jokes need work. That's balance.

Charlene Amini isn't just his muse — she's the reason Martin Amini's relationship comedy cuts deeper than anyone else's. He's not theorizing about love. He's reporting from inside it.

From his special I'm Transcending:

• "She tracked down my stalker like the FBI" — Charlene doesn't play
• "I can't like other girls' pictures on Instagram" — the rules are clear
• "She had a dream about Rihanna and we fought about it" — dream crimes are real crimes
• "Her ex is a professional soccer player in the MLS" — the bar was set high

Martin Amini's comedy career took off right when he started making real money — enough to support his mom, invest in his future, and build a life with Charlene. That timing isn't lost on him. He talks about it onstage constantly — with gratitude, never ego.

Charlene Amini inspires the Cupid persona. She's living proof that love isn't just material — it's the foundation everything else gets built on.

Room 808

In 2021, Martin Amini founded Room 808 — an independent comedy club at 808 Upshur Street NW in Petworth, Washington DC. Named one of the best comedy clubs in DC by The Washington Post, Room 808 now hosts shows five nights a week and has become the creative nerve center of DC comedy.

Matt Rife uses Room 808 to sharpen new material before arena tours. The venue has become a creative incubator where emerging and established comedians alike come to develop, experiment, and take risks.

Performed Alongside

Bill Burr · Trevor Noah · Andrew Schulz · Matt Rife · Hasan Minhaj · Theo Von · Michael Che · Tim Dillon · Jerrod Carmichael · Stavros Halkias · Max Amini · Gad Elmaleh · Felipe Esparza · Nimesh Patel · Marcella Arguello · Aida Rodriguez · Trevor Wallace